If I spend,
say, $10,000 earning instrument, commerical and perhaps CFI ratings, is it
reasonable to expect that I will be able to earn that back before the final
wings are pinned on my shoulders?


I'm not sure I understand the question. If you are asking, essentially,
whether a lifetime total income of more than $10,000 is reasonable in aviation,
then yes. At $20/hour as a CFI, you could fly 500 hours (say, enough to see 20
students through primary training) to make that kind of money. If you can pull
down $40/hour, then ten students (over your entire lifetime) will pay back
$10,000 worth of ratings.

But I don't think that's really the question on your mind, because in order to
do this, you will have to work for 500 hours. That's a little over twelve
weeks of full time flying. This will involve double that amount of hours when
you count all the down time. So, going full steam, it will take half a year,
assuming that students are coming out of the woodwork to fly with you.

So, half a year of working, and you get $10,000. Ok, it's fun work, but it's
still time you're renting the apartment or paying the morgage, eating lunch,
buying flowers for your honey (probably the best flying investment there is ,
and accuing other expenses that need to be paid in cash rather than gasoline.

Or, it's time you're not working at your earthbound job making the money to
take care of the other stuff, such as getting ratings and flying (for
yourself). I would not look at "hobby flying employment" as a way to pay back
the cost of ratings, but rather, as a way to get in the air on somebody else's
dime. Assumnig you're going up anyway, might as well get somebody else to foot
the bill.

Jose

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